Watch "Mechanical". Steampunk. MK Studio "Lemon". Secrets of craftsmanship: unique clocks in the steampunk style How to make a steampunk wall clock with your own hands

Today we continue the series of master classes on creating original wall clocks in the steampunk style with your own hands.

Hi all! Today we will do wall clock.

We take it and clean it thoroughly.

Now we need a regular clock mechanism from a Chinese watch. It just becomes a disk.

All that remains is to replace the clock hands. We will make them from transparent plastic 1 mm thick, which is used in advertising agencies. The width of the arrows at the base is 4 mm. After drilling the holes, we attach the hands to the clock mechanism.

Now all that remains is to secure the mechanism inside the disk using hot glue. But first we’ll paint the disk with black paint and then gild it all over the disk.

Next we will make hour markers. To do this, take a thick one copper wire 4 mm in diameter, clean it, rivet it with a hammer.

And we make 12 U-shaped brackets from it.

We attach them to the disk.

To prevent the marks from fading, fill everything with semi-matte varnish.

We paint the arrows with gold paint. Next, use a knife to remove the plastic side from the clock mechanism. We take a part from a former one, drill a 4 mm hole in the center, paint the part red and glue it to the clock mechanism. We put arrows, . This is how the clock turned out.

For a detailed watch making process, watch my video.

There are handmade items that go beyond handmade, coming as close as possible to unique works of decorative and applied art, created with great skill and imagination. Great example such a small masterpiece - original watch in the style of steampunk and machinery, created by the author of our portal. Every smallest detail in them is worked out so carefully that you can look at it for hours!

About finding inspiration, working with various techniques and materials, the history of the creation of these extraordinary watches, as well as why radio electronics can be useful to a jeweler, Yulianna spoke in an interview with our editors.

Yuliana, I would like to learn more about you and your wonderful work. To begin with, tell us a little about yourself, because not every master knows various materials and handmade techniques on such high level. Where did you study? How long have you been doing handmade?

Thank you for your kind words. By first education I am a radio electronics engineer aircraft. But since I had to work part-time in the field of design since school, it gradually grew into teaching activities, later in my professional training. Now I am writing a diploma at the Stroganov Academy, specializing in graphic artist. My sister and I are also graduating from jewelry college this year.

I always had to do manual work: the family drew and drew absolutely everything. Of course not on professional level, but it was believed that intensive practice in drawing partly replaced any schools. I still adhere to this opinion.

What techniques do you prefer and what objects do you usually create?

I really want everything at once!

Often, techniques have to be mastered after an idea has settled in your head. A lot depends on the tools. For example, I like stained glass as such, but I estimate the resources that will need to be obtained immediately and at one time, and decide: I need stained glass for several projects, or it’s just a small interest.

I have no idea at all what the name of the equipment I work with is called. I interact with wood, metals, glass, paints in any of their subtypes, textiles, polymer clay, ceramics, etc. The jewelry college helped a lot in this matter, although I still don’t like soldering and working with precious metals.

And I create objects, first of all, those that I like. For the soul, definitely with your own little world. And I try to find suitable, loving owners for them.

What was the starting point and source of inspiration for creating the watch?

The spirit of our student laboratories. Actually, it was from there that the first few IN-14 lamps were brought home. In general, the entire territory of the Aviation Institute, especially in autumn, is an interesting sight: endless brick walls, narrow passages littered with abandoned machines, unwashed huge windows of old workshops. And stairs. Wonderful fire escapes floating in the gray sky overhead. True, these were wonderful moments!

Of course, this is not the largest institute, but it was easy to get lost there. There was something mesmerizing in these deserted passages between buildings.

Do you make preliminary sketches and sketches of the future item, or does everything arise spontaneously during the work process?

I don't like making sketches. When the sketch is done perfectly, it becomes boring to work. But you can only communicate with customers in the language of sketches, so this is part of working with the client. I usually make drawings right away; they are clearer and more familiar to me.

Stages of working on a watch

Was this your first experience creating watches or compositions of this kind, or have you already done something similar?

It is the watch case that is not. There was an opportunity to practice some techniques on the “Chemical Fume Hood” jewelry box. The image of a fume hood is played out there victorian era: small bottles, flasks, alcohol lamp, ceramic tiles. Everything is real, there are no plastic imitations. We even had to break the glass to match the spirit of antiquity!

The size, of course, dictates its own characteristics (the box is only 9x9 cm, and 6 cm deep); you can only work with tweezers.

How long did the work take? What turned out to be the most difficult and time-consuming?

Difficult - creating the frame of the body, labor-intensive - internal filling. The hours were collected in free time, so there was an opportunity to think about everything and count it many times. But in the end this did not save us from constructive dead ends. In general, not counting pre-preparation, I assembled and filled the body for about a year (total work time 2 years). And, of course, there were some moments that had to be redone.

Were there any difficulties in finding specific materials, or any new work methods or techniques that you had to master?

I had to sift through a bunch of photographic material from workshops, factory premises, etc., in order to collect an image of a certain plant. For a long time I was looking for rock crystal druses with small crystals (there is a box with crystals on the second floor).

I had to work a lot with glass, I used a whole pack of expired novocaine to learn how to cut off perfectly straight tops from ampoules. I had to order a duplicate flask for seconds from a glass blower from Ukraine, and ceramic tiles 3x3 mm from Germany. I dug up a root tree in the vastness of Spain. It was some kind of quest: “Collect the treasure yourself”!

How would you characterize the style of your work? Perhaps you relied on some historical samples, photographs, works of other authors?

Oh yes! I love the game "Machinarium". I consider Jakub Dvorsky and the entire Amanita studio to be a unique fusion of soulful, highly professional and wise. I watch the output of each of their works!

The style of gas-discharge watches is mechanical, in in a good way words.

At the last stages of the work, I turned on music from there, and the sounds in the patina merged with the work, it was even somehow easier to assemble it. Well, little things, of course I love small things, so I often work with miniatures.

Are there any professional advice, which you could give to beginning craftsmen who are planning to create such large-scale interior compositions?

Perhaps, be patient and take the work more calmly. She herself will tell you how and when to end yourself. I’m not an interior designer, but for me it’s enough to simply arrange the entire composition in my mind in its entirety. Therefore the most good advice- imagine yourself inside this object and examine everything there yourself. What would you like to move or add? It's up to the author to decide!

Will the watch stay at your home or will it look for a new owner?

The question has already been raised many, many times! Especially at fairs, when we took the watches out into the light. I will keep this copy. The case uses parts from my great-grandfather’s watch reserves, this piece is special.

Well, we repeat to everyone again and again that if you have time to wait (the production time is now 9 months) and the material resources to pay for 9 months of painstaking assembly, then we can do it again.

Do you plan to create something similar again, and if so, what are your creative plans?

Now I'm already working on a new building. True, there will be a different building, more glass, light, space, and a different geometry in general. The customer will see it in September. Well, the rest of the world too! I won’t reveal any secrets - the layout itself is still at the development stage.

Do you take part in any exhibitions and events?

As an artist, I have to exhibit quite often. These are both student exhibitions and as part of the international art fund. In one of the last exhibitions, in addition to graphics, several of my applied gizmos even took part, including the Gaia microcard index. It happened completely spontaneously, but was a success.

I prefer to participate in various fairs when I can talk with visitors, see their reaction, and exchange warmth.

For you handmade Is it creative self-expression, just a hobby, or is it also your main activity?

IN lately this takes up more and more of the time. However, I never forget about painting (academic and in graphic format), it is my favorite activity. But it’s very nice to bring miniature joys to people, and given the fact that more and more people come to us for them, I want to continue creating in this vein!

2. We first pull the clock's winding lever to the adjustment position (when the hands turn), and then pull it out completely. To do this you will have to apply a little more effort. The lever comes out completely, nothing breaks.

3. Now the clock mechanism can be removed from the case. All that remains is to figure out how to thread the lace through it. You can do this in two ways:

Drill (or pierce) a hole in the dial;

Insert the winding lever back into the hole of the clock mechanism and tie the cord on it with a simple knot.

I chose the second, more humane and more original method. And as a result, I got a double-sided steampunk pendant (on one side of the pendant there is a dial, and on the other there is an open clock mechanism).

4. After making a steampunk jewelry in the form of a pendant with our own hands, we were left with a beautiful watch case with a strap. It is the case that is of particular value, and it is its preservation that is especially important for many (after all, there are often dedicatory engravings on the back panel of the watch, and appearance case reminds us of so many things!). We use the case to make our own original bracelet in the steampunk style. It's very easy to do this:

We will need several beads, or any other small objects, a piece of plastic, cardboard or fabric and scissors;

We place small objects in the watch case;

Cut out a circle from plastic, foil or any other background material that matches the color of overall design bracelet according to the diameter of the back cover;

Place the cut out circle on top of the beads;

Close the back cover of the watch.

A DIY steampunk bracelet is ready. You can use a photograph instead of beads loved one, or shiny confetti. There are a lot of options, and you can change them every day with a new designer accessory.

If you glue a clock mechanism to a simple jewelry ring with regular moment glue, you will get a steampunk style ring that will go perfectly with your bracelet and pendant.

Steampunk style is gaining more and more popularity in world fashion. Only narrow circles of fans of this mysterious world are happy to share their thoughts about jewelry and accessories in SteamPunk style. Discuss them in social networks and post photos of exclusive works by masters and amateurs.

What do you know about this direction? Little?

Then we invite you to figure it out together and learn a little more about the SteamPunk style. Steampunk Jewelry SteamPunk.

William Gibson is considered the founder of the Steampunk style in world literature. In his work “The Difference Machine,” the author plunged the reader into a world where mechanical progress has stepped far forward. Steam engines and highly advanced mechanical machine technology drive a parallel reality. The world of cyberpunks, gears, levers and clamps, is depicted very vividly and in detail in many paintings by artists, animators and directors.

As for Steampunk jewelry, this is quite rough and aggressive jewelry. Main feature which is its exclusivity. All jewelry works are created by artisans by hand.

Incredible amount small parts, flagella, gears, pebbles, buttons, glass, wire, in a word, everything that comes to hand, together create works of art that are mesmerizing with their rough beauty. Materials such as copper, iron, and various non-materials are often used. precious metals and stones.

As you might have already guessed, Steampunk jewelry cannot be found in mass production. But still, there are enough shops on the Internet offering the work of masters.

So it’s very easy to buy Steampunk Steampunk jewelry today. Designer jewelry will be a wonderful addition to your look.

The steampunk direction is so diverse that everyone can satisfy their request without difficulty.

Masters create their masterpieces for literally all occasions. These are earrings, bracelets, pendants, headbands, rings, brooches, decorated with clock mechanisms.

How to do wrist watch steampunk style aslan wrote in July 2nd, 2017

I assembled this watch last year, in several stages, spanning almost six months.

Once, a watchmaker I knew gave me several dozen cases from Soviet times, two of which served as donors for these watches.

I used one of them unchanged, cut off the ears of the second and slightly ground off the lower part, which was corroded.

I removed the chrome coating from them and soldered them together.

The top cover is made of a dial, the frame for the future button is part of a gear from an alarm clock.

I cut the bottom cover from brass, since the original steel one with threads was missing, and I could not find a similar one.

A thin ring covers the soldered seam between the body halves and visually unites them

This is after applying the patina. "Glass" is thin polycarbonate.

As a display, I decided to use an old LED matrix, similar ones were used in mobile phones of that time in the early 90s (for example, in some Motorola StarTac models)

I found mine on ebay. It's called HDSP-2301, made in best traditions still from the 70s: ceramic case, quartz glass, gold-plated legs. And its LEDs are not red, but yellow, so it harmonizes much better with the brass body.

This joy consumes tens of times more than current OLED displays (about 300 mA when completely filled and about 100 mA when displaying some meaningful information).
The functionality of a watch with a graphic OLED and a 4-character display is also incomparable, but I needed a “simple” watch, without a heart rate monitor, calories, weather and their other newfangled abilities to brainwash their owners.

I made the electronic filling myself; it was based on a microcontroller. I took the display connection diagram from the datasheet.
On the left is a charging indicator on a regular yellow LED, on top of which I soldered a Soviet D9B. It turned out very “lamp” :)
Power comes from a regular LiPo battery with a capacity of 150 mAh, its capacity is enough for about 3 weeks in the “check the time 15-20 times a day” mode. The display can also operate in continuous mode, but in this case the battery will only last for a little over an hour.

I didn't want to put a standard USB connector into this case, so while I was waiting for the strap, I assembled a charging adapter.
And when I finally received it, specially made for this watch, everything was wrapped again...
Reworked the electronics to reduce power consumption a bit, reapplied the patina and added a steel current collector on the bottom cover for the charging connection.
At first, the color of the watch and the charger were slightly different, but then they became equal.

The main operating mode of the clock is deep hibernation. When you press the button, the indicator turns on, shows the time and turns off again after 5 seconds. If you press the button again, the clock will display minutes/seconds, now in continuous mode.

This moment was captured on video: